You love your plush memory foam mattress, but figuring out how to best clean this material can be a bit of a challenge. Never fear! There are several ways you can easily clean and freshen your mattress with simple products you already have on hand.
Freshening Up Your Foam
Sometimes your mattress doesn't need a deep cleaning, but it does need a little refreshing. To get surface stains out and refresh it, try this method.
Things You'll Need
- Vacuum with a hand attachment
- Baking soda
What to Do
- Thoroughly vacuum the mattress using the hand attachment. You'll want to make sure you remove any visible debris along with dirt hidden in the mattress. Give the mattress several sweeps with the vacuum.
- Sprinkle the baking soda evenly over the mattress. Try to get good, even coverage.
- Allow the baking soda to sit for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Vacuum up the baking soda.
- Repeat as necessary to leave your mattress smelling fresh.
Cleaning Up Old Stains
Maybe your child spilled something on your bed and didn't tell you, or you have a mystery stain. Don't worry; all is not lost for your memory foam. Give this method a try.
Things You'll Need
- Vacuum with hand attachment
- Mild dish soap (use whatever brand you prefer)
- Sponge or dish towel
- Water
- Towel
What to Do
- Vacuum the mattress. Use a handheld attachment and really work it over the stain.
- Mix a few squirts of dish soap with water. You don't want an overwhelming amount of bubbles, but there should be a few dancing along the top of the water.
- Dip the sponge or towel in the soapy water and ring it out. Gently work over the stained area. Repeat this process until the stain is gone.
- Use the towel to absorb as much of the soap mixture out of the mattress as possible.
- Using plain water, rinse out the soap. You don't want to soak the area.
- Again, use the towel to absorb the water out of the mattress.
- Allow the mattress to air dry or use a hair dryer on a cool setting if it is very damp.
Fresh Spills or Stains
The process that you take for fresh stains, like urine or wine, is a bit different than older ones because you want to get as much of the stain up as possible. Therefore, you need to act fast.
Things You'll Need
- Towels or paper towel
- Dish soap
- Water
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar
- Vacuum
What to Do for Liquid Spills
- Using the towel, try to absorb as much of the spill as possible. This may take several towels to really get it out.
- Mix water and dish soap, and use a towel to gently scrub the area. If you spilled something colorful, like red wine, repeat this step until the color is gone.
- Rinse the area.
- Use the towels to try to absorb as much water as possible.
What to Do for Smelly Spills
- Absorb as much liquid as possible using the towel.
- Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. Spray down the area with the vinegar and use the towel to blot the area.
- Absorb as much of the vinegar solution as possible.
- Sprinkle baking soda over the area and let it dry. This can take several hours.
- Vacuum up the baking soda.
- Allow the memory foam mattress to fully dry.
Words of Caution
While substances like baking soda, vinegar or detergent are fairly gentle on your memory foam mattress, take care before using harsh chemicals like bleach. Some manufacturers advise against using it because it can break down the fibers in the memory foam.
Getting Your Mattress Clean
Different methods are available to clean your memory foam mattress. Whether you are looking to get a deep clean or just freshen it up, cleaning it is as simple as a visit to your pantry.
